Bridle



(No Model.)

S. 'A. NOLE'N.

I BRIDLE.

110.457,364. Patented Aug. 11,1891,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN A. NOLEN, OF MCCRORY, ARKANSAS.

BRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,364, dated August 11, 1891.

Application tiled April 13, 1891.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, STEPHEN A. NoLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at MC- Crory, in the county of Voodrui, State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridles,'of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the connecting parts used to unite the bands or straps of the bridle together and to the bit and .from the latter to the reins, whereby nearlyall stitching of said bands is dispensed with and the amount of labor required in constructing a complete bridle is reduced.

I-leretofore the ends of the brow-band of bridles have generally been looped to receive the head-band. The nose-band has also been looped at each end or riveted to the cheekstraps and the bit has been made with one or two bars riveted to the side bars thereof.

The object of my improvement is to provide cheek-pieces of looped wires, a bit having` its sides of looped wires, and a rein connection formed of two tongues with the rein clasped between and riveted thereto. I attain these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of a bridle constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a modified form of wire cheekpieces. Fig. 3 represents one of the looped wires forming one side of the bit. Fig. 4 is a modification of one of the looped wires and part of bit. 'i

In said drawings, A represents ,the headband. It has its ends split to form two short straps, of which the strap a is looped around the upper end ot' the looped wire or wires B, forming the cheek-pieces, and the straps al2 to be united with the throat-latch.

To connect the brow-band D with the headband, the ends of said brow-band are provided with looped sheet-metal straps d, that are riveted thereto and receive said ends of the brow-band.

To connect the head-band A with the bit, the cheek-pieces B are used. They consist, as shown in Fig. l, of two looped wires b and h2 havinflr theirinner ends rovided with e yes Serial No. 388, 743. (No model.)

the jointed eyes b3 or the joints of the nose band E or of thechin-band E2 with the cheekpieces, stri ps or pads of leather B2 are secured to the inner side of the clasps f by rivets f2 passing through them. The ends of the noseband and of the chin-band are connected to the branches of the looped wire'l by means of sheet-metal straps d2, that are riveted to said bands.

To connect the cheek-pieces to the bit, links or snap-hooks G are used, and they are preferably made of a single strip ot bent-over sheet-steel, as shown. Each side H of the bit consists of a wire bent over to form a bottom loop h, a top loop h2, and a ring h3, nearly halfway between said loops;

The bit proper consists of two bars. The upper bar h4 is cylindrical, but bent upward in the middle at h5. The lower bar h6 is flat, but with its edges .rounded off. Upon the bars h4 h are placed the disks k7, that unite them and prot-ect the sides of the animals mouth, and the ends of said bars are looped at hS and made to clasp and unite together the ends and middle portion of the wire forming the sides H.

In the moditlcation shown in Fig. 2 the cheekpieces are formed of a single looped wire B*, the upper ends of which are bent to form hooks b4, that overlap each other and are adapted to be received together in the looped ends a of the head-band. The lower portion carries a sheet-metal clasp f, to the inner side of which is riveted a small leather pad B2.

To rapidly connect the rein L with the bit of the bridle, each end of said rein is provided on one side with a flat tongue m, having a hooked end m2, and on the other side with a flat tongue n, having its free end in engagement within the hooked end of the other, the leather of the rein being between said tongues and united thereto by rivets n2, as shown.

IOO

In Fig. 4 the bends given to the side wire of the bit are slightly modified in form, and there is shown also a small sheet-metal strap 72.9 to connect the disk h? with the wire 7L* and a sheet-metal tongue h5* to project upward on the middle of the bit-bar 7111*.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 1. In a bridle, the combination of the headband and bit with cheek-pieces consisting of vparallel Wires having their ends retained together and bent over, conn ectinglinks G, uniting said cheek-pieces and bit, and the clasp f, secured to the Wire cheek-pieces and to the lining-pads, substantially as described.

2. In a bridle, the combination of the headband, the cheek-pieces consisting of looped wires, links pendent therefrom, and a bit having each side consisting of a wire bent to obtain a bottom loop hik, a top loop W, and a ring h3* between said loops with connectingbars h4* hi, substantially as described.

3. In a bridle, the combination of the headband, the cheek-pieces consisting of looped wires, the nose-band having its ends connecting to the wire cheek-pieces by sheet-rnetal straps d2, riveted to said nose-band, and a bit connected to the wire cheek-pieces, substantially as described.

Ll. In a bridle, the combination of the headband, the cheek-pieces consisting of looped wires, leather pads B2, and clasps f, secured to the Wire cheek-pieces, substantially as described.

' 5. In a bridle, the combination of the headband, the cheek-pieces consisting of looped wires, the bit having each side consisting of a wire bent in the form of a top loop, a bottoin loop, and a ring between said loops, and a rein connection consisting` of a flat tongue m, having a hooked end, a Hat tongue n, and a rein secured between said tongues by rivets, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN A. NOLEN. Vtitnesses:

W. B. FAKEs, W. E. JELKs. 

